[Sven G]

I just found this IMO very interesting - and, at the same time, very OS X- and Linux-like (see GNOME/KDE) - Desktop Manager application. It is a menu bar app (like Another Launcher, for example).

You can download version 0.3.2 from Versiontracker...

Some screenshots:

[lenox]

I've been using it both at home and work for a while now. The plus is that it is very fast. The minus is just that os x isn't really multiple-desktop-savvy.

[Sven G]

Originally posted by lenox:
The minus is just that os x isn't really multiple-desktop-savvy.

Yes, I have to agree on this: BTW, while Expos� is certainly a very good thing, it cannot, anyway, properly be considered a completely functional substitute for the Linux-like multiple workspaces environment. Let's hope that Apple will eventually integrate all this multiple desktops goodness into Expos�/Dock/Menu Bar/whatever the future will be...

[Jim_MDP]

Wish list�

Built in, yes.

In the Menu Bar� absolutely not.

Not enough real estate there as it is. Make it an option if they have to. It's why I use CodeTek's Virtual Desktop.

[clarkgoble]

Actually the menu bar makes a lot of sense. Even with a 17" monitor it isn't like you are going to run out of menu space. I've never come close. A powerbook might have more trouble though...

[[APi]TheMan]

Originally posted by clarkgoble:
Actually the menu bar makes a lot of sense. Even with a 17" monitor it isn't like you are going to run out of menu space. I've never come close. A powerbook might have more trouble though...

Menu-whore applications like... ALL of Microsoft's ring a bell.

I would love for this type of functionality to be something that I would use often. I just haven't found a need for this type of utility in my years of computing. Even under Linux I just use the space I have and make do, albeit a little slower than those that live, breathe, and sleep virtual desktops. I guess I'd have to get used to it to develop a need. Even now with Expos� I find it hard to come across a situation where I'd need to use an Expos� key.

I suppose that this is because I'm very organized and I keep my windows where I can always access them behind other applications and windows. My finger is always on the option key when I'm mousing into/out of an application, so I never get too cluttered.

I will try this application though, it looks snazzy.

[mindwaves]

Thanks for the heads up! I was left without Virtual Desktops since I upgraded to Panther since i didn't fully work in Panther, but I love this little app. Simple and to the point!

[dialo]

Originally posted by Jim_MDP:
In the Menu Bar� absolutely not.

It's actually great with the menu bar. You get a nice graphical representation at all times that isn't taking up screen space.

When the menu bar gets crowded, the desktop icons disappear, and you are just left with the pager, which has a contextual menu to access each desktop.

Of course, the best way to switch between desktops is the perfect key command option-cmd-[R/L arrow]. Now if only expose was that convenient on my powerbook.

[moofman]

DesktopManager CAN go without using your menubar space. You can disable both the Pager (each separate screen icon) and the Status Icon. Cmd-Opt-P makes the pager come on and off at will.

[Sven G]

... And, FYI, the new Panther-compatible version 0.3.3 is now available...

[dr. zoidberg]

wow! it is really fast, even on that dodgy old g3/350 with 256mb ram running panther!!!

[[APi]TheMan]

Originally posted by Sven G:
... And, FYI, the new Panther-compatible version 0.3.3 is now available...

And man is it snazzy.

I gave it a try for a half hour or so and I decided that I got lost trying to figure out how to use it. Mac OS X handles its windows and applications differently that Windows/Linux.

Instead of each window just being its own separate entity, they're all owned by applications. When you switch desktops, the apps themselves go with the windows. Then I find myself in a new desktop and I try to, by habit, click on Safari or Terminal for example and all I am effectively doing is bringing that application to the foreground in the OTHER virtual desktop, so when I switch back I have even more windows on my screen.

I figured out how to trick Desktop Manager into putting different windows (belonging to the same application) in different virtual desktops by minimizing them into the dock then switching desktops. This is a curious solution because if you quit Desktop Manager you lose access to those windows unless you launch Desktop Manager again.

Can someone give me a practical use of virtual desktop in a Mac OS X environment?

edit: I I missed having the super snazzy Desktop Manager in my menu so I am giving it another try. It looks like the idea behind an OS X virtual desktop manager is to hide different applications rather than windows. I can see some functionality in that. I have Safari in one desktop and my Terminal in another. I just gotta get the key combos down.

Also, I just noticed that Desktop Manager is Expos� savvy. Ooh la la.

[jbelch3]

I was using this pre-Panther and I absolutely loved it. Once I installed Panther (clean install) I copied the app back over. When I launch the app my current desktop now is labled desktop 2. When I click on Desktop 1 nothing changes. When I click on Desktop 3 it changes to a clean Desktop but it is labled Desktop 1. I thought this must be an instance of the app not being "Panther aware". I noticed yesterday that a new version had been released. I d/l and launched, and the same bug is happening. I looked for a .plist to delete but can't seem to find one under ~/Library or /Library. Has anyone else experienced this? Any suggestions?

[[APi]TheMan]

Desktop Manager 0.3.3 likes to quit randomly... leaving you without access to your hidden desktops... Re-launching allows you to access those desktops, however.

Console.app shows a few crash logs... hmm. I'm running Panther 10.3.1.

[dialo]

Originally posted by [APi]TheMan:
Desktop Manager 0.3.3 likes to quit randomly... leaving you without access to your hidden desktops... Re-launching allows you to access those desktops, however.

Console.app shows a few crash logs... hmm. I'm running Panther 10.3.1.

Is everyone having this problem?

[MOTHERWELL]

Originally posted by clarkgoble:
Actually the menu bar makes a lot of sense. Even with a 17" monitor it isn't like you are going to run out of menu space. I've never come close. A powerbook might have more trouble though...

Especially when working in Maya. The modeling set takes up most of the menu bar.

[Sven G]

Wow! A lot of interesting comments...

As for the present difficulties of running some form of virtual desktops/workspaces on OS X (also in relation to Linux and Windows), I'm reasonably sure things will improve over time - especially when Apple further develops the interaction between Expos�, the Dock, the Menu Bar and the Desktop. BTW, there's also an interesting Mac OS X Hints Use virtual desktops in OS X article, and some others can be found by searching there.

In the meantime, FYI, here's a list of the various free, shareware and commercial multiple desktops apps I've found sofar (in a pseudo-chronological, "most recent update" order):

- Space.app (the very first one, AFAIK);

- Virtual Desktops (seems to be unavailable, however);

- VirtualScreens (nice little app);

- Workspaces (interesting);

- CodeTek VirtualDesktop (the most powerful, sofar, of course);

- DesktopManager (quite promising, especially if coupled with Another Launcher: an almost perfect and very powerful menu bar duo!).

(Maybe there are some others...)

[Jim_MDP]

Thanks for the round-up, Sven.

As I said, I use Code Tek's in a four across and I love it. I go� 1-Finder, 2-Net, 3-Misc/Video/Audio, 4-XWindows.

I didn't read all of that Hints thread but one thing struck me. Think of it as Tabs for your OS environment. Couldn't be without it now.

[MacGorilla]

I contributed the BigMissy and and Deep Purple skins to CodeTek Virtual desktops

[[APi]TheMan]

Desktop Manager's simplicity touches me down there.

It's simple. No complications. CodeTek tries to do too much.

[RevEvs]

FYI: V. 0.3.4 is out and fixes the random crashing bug.

revs

[[APi]TheMan]

Originally posted by RevEvs:
FYI: V. 0.3.4 is out and fixes the random crashing bug.

revs

Yah, it fixed them for me... but now I go to hit the hot key and nothing happens (or iTunes will skip a track, or Safari will go back or forward a page) all because Desktop Manager has silently quit and my hotkeys are gone... hehe.

I'm eagarly awaiting 0.4.0

[dr. zoidberg]

the author claims that he is rewriting the whole codebase for 0.4 ... it will be interesting to see how this spiffy app develops.

[[APi]TheMan]

Originally posted by dr. zoidberg:
the author claims that he is rewriting the whole codebase for 0.4 ... it will be interesting to see how this spiffy app develops.

I read that on the sourceforge project page. It also says that this was his first Mac OS X program. Very impressive.

Like I said, I am eagarly awaiting 0.4.0 with its new codebase.

[Macfreak7]

Awesome app.
This should really be built in. Works great in sync with expos�.

[[APi]TheMan]

Desktop Manager version 0.4.2 has been released... http://wsmanager.sf.net/

I took a break from religiously checking the project page for a few weeks and now this. My experience with it has been short, but the ability to move windows to other desktops is pretty sweet. I did notice Desktop Manager still crashes randomly and you're left without access to your virtual desktops (which launching Desktop Manager again remedies).

But give it a shot.

[dr. zoidberg]

w000t .... check out the preview-page for 0.5:

http://wsmanager.sourceforge.net/point5preview.html

rotating cube fx? this is exactly what i have been screaming for!!

[Dale Sorel]

Originally posted by dr. zoidberg:
w000t .... check out the preview-page for 0.5:

http://wsmanager.sourceforge.net/point5preview.html

rotating cube fx? this is exactly what i have been screaming for!!

Wow...this is gonna rock

[dr. zoidberg]

man, i�m so thrilled about this .... damn, i wanna see it in action already! NOW! aargh!!

i have seen from the screeners that you have eight transitional effects ... and you can obviously even adjust the duration of those transitions! very schweet.

and we will have active edges, which make you switch to another desktop when you move your cursor to the edges of the screen. heh man now that�s gonna be funny ... you see even now i accidentally activate expos� up to 15 times a day, just because my optical mouse loves jumping around like a chicken on crack, thus hitting one of the hot-spots so often.
i can see it already, flying windows and flipping desktops all the time ... so i won�t be able to work anymore, but�s it�s going to look sooo cool.

anyway. wooheeee.

[neoTony]

So download it and compile it yourself - I did - the transitions are sweet. Obviously a few bugs to work out, and the need for new graphics and icons is pretty clear, but I like! Version 0.5 is going to bury other DMs MWUHAHAHAHAHA!

[dr. zoidberg]

yeah i thought about that already ... and maybe i will take the plunge. otherwise, i�ll just wait until the developer thinks it is stable enough. but on the other hand ....

[iNeusch]

Originally posted by dr. zoidberg:
yeah i thought about that already ... and maybe i will take the plunge. otherwise, i�ll just wait until the developer thinks it is stable enough. but on the other hand ....

it shouldn't be too long before we can test a "stable" version
for the first time, I start to want a virtual desktop manager

[dr. zoidberg]

yep. actually i have tested most of the other available applications since Space.app, but they all they all got trashed eventually. but this thingie looks like it will stay around for a looong time, baby.

[dr. zoidberg]

HOLY COW IT�S OUT ...... *gasp* ... *gasp* ...

this stuff ROCKS!!!

one irritating thing though is that when you have active edges, and say you move to the very left so that you move to the desktop next in row (on the left side), you�ll find your mouse suddenly on the very right side ... which actually is kinda cool ... just .... well i think you gotta get used to it.

anyway, i�m so stoked!

[Dale Sorel]

Originally posted by neoTony:
So download it and compile it yourself

I just did...make the switch transition cube and turn on active edges...holy cow, this blows VirtualDestop out of the water

[hotani]

CodeTek's Virtual Desktop won my heart... and some of my cash.

The main problem I have with it isn't its problem, but the nature of OSX as someone was mentioning earlier. If a finder window is open in desktop 1, and I'm in desktop 4 and click finder in the dock, nothing happens (OSX is saying "its already open, doofus"). But that has some upsides too: I can have one safari window exist in desktop 2 which I use for that sort of thing, and another window in desktop 4 for testing webpages with dreamweaver - now that's handy!

Being able to drag a window across desktops is really cool - that's the best way I can think to describe it. Its one of those things I show to my friends and say "hey, check this out!!"

[Turias]

Wow, I can't wait to try this out when I get home! Too bad the cube rotating effect won't work on my abysmal G4/400 PCI.

[dr. zoidberg]

hmm yeah probably. altough it doesn�t say anything about minimum requirements, but i would imagine that you need quartz extreme for the transitions.

[Simon X]

Great update. Does look like the best of the bunch for me now. The Codetek one just seamed like overkill for me, and Desktop Manager is free. Though, even after all these cool features I still really liked the workspaces chooser in Workspaces. I almost bought it just for that last year until I discovered DM. The chooser is a really slick feature IMHO.

[ambush]

Man... all this window managing stuff lately...

Expos�, Minimize in Place, minimize in dock, this thing...

am I the only one who does NOT feel the need for this?

Personally, I'm a fan of Hide (Command-H)

it's

1) fast
2) handy
3) no extra cpu/memory involved
4) Did I mention it's fast?

but kudos to the developers of DM, I'm sure I'd enjoy it if I tried to get used to it in the first place...

[moonmonkey]

http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/w..._mirror=cesnet

[[APi]TheMan]

It's out.

I used to be against the virtual desktop thing too (see further up in this thread for example), and I too use hiding and command-tab very often (and now without thinking; it's second nature), but Desktop Manager is pretty cool.

I can't wait to try 0.5 later this week when I'm not buried with things to do.

[Sven G]

[dwishbone]

my review of Desktop Manager 0.5

[krisneph]

Wow this is awesome now I can show off the 3D cube effect. I used to switch user just to see the cube effect. I can just change desktops and "Boom" the cube. The best part is that this is free. I think it's better than CodeTek VirtualDesktop. The thing that sucks is tring to split time between Expos� and Desktop Manager. It's great!!!!

[dr. zoidberg]

Originally posted by krisneph:
I used to switch user just to see the cube effect. I can just change desktops and "Boom" the cube.

so you were the other one, eh?

[MacGorilla]

Awesome!!!!

[SteevAK]

Wow, very cool and very free. Excellent! Another fine piece of OSS that I'll be keeping my eye on.

[Krypton]

How do you get it to refresh? It crashes after I rename the desktops.

[krisneph]

I had a problems with Illustrator 10. It would keep the palletes in a different window than the window i was working with.I pretty sure that's a bug. I tried to sent the window to a different desktop but it wouldn't work.